Is Business Travel About to Stall?  After virtually disappearing in early 2020, business travelers are again booking trips to meetings, conferences, and events. Global business travel was a $1.4 trillion industry in 2019 – but conflicting focuses have experts guessing at how long it will take for business travel to return to that level. Currently, the Global Business Travel Association...

Are Super Apps the Next Big Thing? In the last decade fintech firms began introducing single, easy-to-use digital financial solutions. Consumers embraced them, prompting the move toward expanding their products’ capabilities. Super Apps—integrated digital ecosystems with multiple capabilities—are prominent in China (WeChat leads the way) and Microsoft is making inroads here in the USA, according to a recent Forbes article....

Is Offline Online? Two States of Commerce Continue to Blur  The pandemic gave digital commerce a boost as consumers steered clear of brick-and-mortar shopping to avoid contact with others. But that’s changing now: Recent research by Khoros reveals 67% of consumers believe the best shopping experiences now incorporate both humans and digital channels; 57% want the option to talk to...

Is Business Travel About to Stall?  After virtually disappearing in early 2020, business travelers are again booking trips to meetings, conferences, and events. Global business travel was a $1.4 trillion industry in 2019 – but conflicting factors have experts guessing at how long it will take for business travel to return to that level. Currently, the Global Business Travel Association...

Consumer Spending Strained Spending is down in the US for household items like furniture and electronics, as food, gasoline and other essentials have become more expensive. Retailers including Walmart and Best Buy are expecting to feel the pinch. DCA Insight: The change in spending habits is uneven. Many people are dining out and traveling more after not being able to during...

Demand for Luxury Goods Soars Name-brand handbags and jewelry are selling fast. Many lux brands have more than doubled their sales in the U.S. since the pandemic began. DCA Insight: Wealthy consumers are of course more immune to challenges facing most shoppers. Walmart reports consumers have pared back on buying clothes, and Amazon has indicated a recent e-commerce slow down....

[image_with_animation image_url=”23928″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”] Consumer Spending Strained Spending is down in the US for household items like furniture and electronics, as food, gasoline and other essentials have become more expensive. Retailers including Walmart and Best Buy are expecting to feel the pinch. DCA Insight: The change in spending habits is uneven. Many...

DCA’s Top 20 Women in Digital Commerce 2022  Twenty outstanding women executives in the digital commerce space have been recognized by the Digital Commerce Alliance (DCA) for leadership and achievement.   The global non-profit trade association, DCA, selected these senior-level individuals based on their innovative approaches to advance their organizations and the digital commerce industry. DCA members include Sam’s Club, Bank of America,...

Economic Output Down, Job Market Strong In the first half of 2022, output fell but companies were still hiring. While some economists fear a recession is imminent, others maintain that without job loss, a downturn’s not in the cards. DCA Insight: The correlation in this pandemic cycle hasn’t been seen before. Inflation rates and interest rates are rising. At the...

Retailers Trim Sales Forecasts Large retailers including Target, Walmart and Kohls are increasing sales at slower rates than they did at the height of the pandemic. Rising rates of inflation are driving shoppers to curb purchases of discretionary items in favor of staples like groceries. DCA Insight: Spending pull-back has been sharper than predicted. Consumer wallets are being squeezed, driving...

Lead Times Get Longer, Inventory Piles Up Retailers are finding it difficult to match supply and demand. Shipping delays, port back-logs and other Covid-related supply-chain snafus are the norm. In response, chains including Target and Gap are building in more lead time from design to when the product hits shelves, but run the risk of consumers not wanting the goods...

Buy Now, Pay Later Space Experiences Hiccups The state of the promising buy now, pay later payment concept, initially embraced by consumers and merchants alike, is experiencing a rising number of delinquencies in a slowing economy. DCA Insight: Buy now, pay later—allowing shoppers to split the cost of their purchases into multiple payments over time—gained popularity last year. Consumers with...